Positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

ABSTRACT

A PET-MR apparatus is provided. The PET-MR apparatus may include a first supporting component, a PET detector, a second supporting component, and a radio frequency (RF) coil. The first supporting component may have an inner surface and an outer surface. The PET detector may be supported on the outer surface of the first supporting component. The second supporting component may be at least partially surrounded by the first supporting component. The RF coil configured to generate or receive an RF signal may be supported on the second supporting component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No.201920155281.6 filed on Jan. 29, 2019, and Chinese Patent ApplicationNo. 201910105242.X filed on Feb. 1, 2019, the entire contents of each ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus, and moreparticularly, relates to a positron emission tomography (PET)-magneticresonance (MR) imaging apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Positron emission tomography (PET)-magnetic resonance (MR) is a hybridimaging technique that incorporates both MR (e.g., a soft tissuemorphological imaging technique) and PET (e.g., a functional imagingtechnique). In a conventional PET-MR imaging apparatus, components of aPET imaging apparatus (e.g., one or more PET detectors) and componentsof an MR imaging apparatus (e.g., an RF coil, a main magnet, a gradientmagnet) may be integrated. For example, a PET detector may be mounted onan outer surface of a supporting component (e.g., a cylindricalsupporting component), and an RF coil may be mounted on an inner surfaceof the supporting component.

However, due to the combination of the PET detector and the RF coil onthe same supporting component, it is difficult to disassemble and/orassemble the PET detector and the RF coil, which may lead to a greatmaintenance difficulty and/or a high maintenance cost. In addition, thePET detector supported by the supporting component may be positioned inan accommodating region formed by a magnet coil (e.g., a main magnet, agradient magnet) of the MR system. During the assembly of the PETdetector, the PET detector may collide with an inner surface of themagnet coil, which may damage the PET detector or the magnet coil.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a PET-MR imaging apparatus thatmay allow the PET detector and the RF coil to be separately assembledand also guarantee the safety of the PET detector during installation.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a PET-MR apparatus isprovided. The PET-MR apparatus may include a first supporting component,a PET detector, a second supporting component, and a radio frequency(RF) coil. The first supporting component may have an inner surface andan outer surface. The PET detector may be supported on the outer surfaceof the first supporting component. The second supporting component maybe at least partially surrounded by the first supporting component. TheRF coil configured to generate or receive an RF signal may be supportedon the second supporting component.

In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus may include a magnetic coilformed around the outer surface of the first supporting component. Themagnetic coil may include a main magnetic coil and a gradient magneticcoil.

In some embodiments, the RF coil may be attached to an outer surface ofthe second supporting component.

In some embodiments, the PET detector may be mounted on the outersurface of the first supporting component via a fastener.

In some embodiments, the first supporting component may be made ofcarbon fiber or glass fiber.

In some embodiments, the MR-PET apparatus may include a signal shieldingcomponent placed between the PET detector and the RF coil. The signalshielding component may be configured to shield the PET detector from atleast part of the RF signal.

In some embodiments, the second supporting component may be removablyconnected to the inner surface of the first supporting component.

In some embodiments, the PET detector may include a detection unit andat least one mounting base. The detection unit may include a firstproximal surface and a first distal surface with respect to the outersurface of the first supporting component. The at least one mountingbase may be configured to mount the detection unit on the firstsupporting component. The at least one mounting base may include asecond proximal surface and a second distal surface with respect to theouter surface of the first supporting component. The second distalsurface of the at least one mounting base may be more distant from theouter surface of the first supporting component than the first distalsurface of the detection unit.

In some embodiments, the first distal surface of the detection unit andthe second distal surface of the at least one mounting base may be flatsurfaces.

In some embodiments, the detection unit and the at least one mountingbase may be an integral body.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may beremovably connected to the detection unit.

In some embodiments, the detection unit may include a detectioncomponent and a third supporting component. The third supportingcomponent may be configured to support the detection component. Thethird supporting component and the at least one mounting base may be anintegral body.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may beremovably connected to the third supporting component.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may includea mounting hole. The each of the at least one mounting base may bemounted on the first supporting component via the mounting hole and aconnection component passing through the mounting hole.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may includea positioning hole penetrating through the mounting base in a directionperpendicular to the outer surface of the first supporting component.

In some embodiments, the PET-MR apparatus may include a groove at thesecond proximal surface of the at least one mounting base. The groovemay be configured to accommodate at least one convex portion on theouter surface of the first supporting component.

In some embodiments, the PET detector may include a plurality ofdetection units. The plurality of detection units may becircumferentially arranged on the outer surface of the first supportingcomponent to form a ring shape.

In some embodiments, the at least one mounting base may include an endring. The end ring may include an inner edge where at least onedetection unit of the plurality of detection units is joined to the endring. The end ring may include an outer edge opposite to the inner edgeand distal from the at least one detection unit.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a PET-MRapparatus is provided. The PET-MR apparatus may include a firstsupporting component and a PET detector. The first supporting componentmay have an inner surface and an outer surface. The PET detector may besupported on the outer surface of the first supporting component. ThePET detector may include a detection unit and at least one mountingbase. The detection unit may include a first proximal surface and afirst distal surface with respect to the outer surface of the firstsupporting component. The at least one mounting base may be configuredto mount the detection unit on the first supporting component. The atleast one mounting base may include a second proximal surface and asecond distal surface with respect to the outer surface of the firstsupporting component. The second distal surface of the at least onemounting base may be more distant from the outer surface of the firstsupporting component than the first distal surface of the detectionunit.

In some embodiments, the PET-MR apparatus may include a magnetic coil.The magnetic coil may include a main magnetic coil and a gradientmagnetic coil. The magnetic coil may form an accommodating region. Thefirst supporting component may be positioned in the accommodatingregion. A gap may be formed between the second distal surface of the atleast one mounting base and the magnetic coil.

In some embodiments, the first distal surface of the detection unit andthe second distal surface of the at least one mounting base may be flatsurfaces.

In some embodiments, the detection unit and the at least one mountingbase may be an integral body.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may beremovably connected to the detection unit.

In some embodiments, the detection unit may include a detectioncomponent and a third supporting component. The third supportingcomponent may be configured to support the detection component. Thethird supporting component and the at least one mounting base may be anintegral body.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may beremovably connected to the third supporting component.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may includea mounting hole. The each of the at least one mounting base may bemounted on the first supporting component via the mounting hole and aconnection component passing through the mounting hole.

In some embodiments, each of the at least one mounting base may includea positioning hole penetrating through the mounting base in a directionperpendicular to the outer surface of the first supporting component.

In some embodiments, the PET-MR apparatus may include a groove at thesecond proximal surface of the at least one mounting base. The groovemay be configured to accommodate at least one convex portion on theouter surface of the first supporting component.

In some embodiments, the PET detector may include a plurality ofdetection units. The plurality of detection units may becircumferentially arranged on the outer surface of the first supportingcomponent to form a ring shape.

In some embodiments, the at least one mounting base may include an endring. The end ring may include an inner edge where at least onedetection unit of the plurality of detection units is joined to the endring. The end ring may include an outer edge opposite to the inner edgeand distal from the at least one detection unit.

In some embodiments, the PET-MR apparatus may include a secondsupporting component and a radio frequency (RF) coil. The secondsupporting component may be at least partially surrounded by the firstsupporting component. The radio frequency (RF) coil may be supported onthe second supporting component. The RF coil may be configured togenerate or receive an RF signal.

In some embodiments, the RF coil may be attached to an outer surface ofthe second supporting component.

In some embodiments, the PET detector may be mounted on the outersurface of the first supporting component via a fastener.

In some embodiments, the first supporting component may be made ofcarbon fiber or glass fiber.

In some embodiments, the PET-MR apparatus may include a signal shieldingcomponent placed between the PET detector and the RF coil. The signalshielding component may be configured to shield the PET detector from atleast part of the RF signal.

In some embodiments, the second supporting component may be removablyconnected to the inner surface of the first supporting component.

Additional features will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the artupon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or maybe learned by production or operation of the examples. The features ofthe present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or useof various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities andcombinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described in terms of exemplaryembodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in detail withreference to the drawings. These embodiments are non-limiting exemplaryembodiments, in which like reference numerals represent similarstructures throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary PET-MR apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary connection structure of afirst supporting component and a second supporting component accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary connection structure of asecond supporting component and an RF coil according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary connection structure of afirst supporting component and a PET detector according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an exemplary PET-MR apparatus viewed froma direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an exemplary PET-MR apparatus viewed froma direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an exemplary PET detector according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an exemplary PET detector according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe relevant disclosure. However, it should be apparent to those skilledin the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without suchdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems,components, and/or circuitry have been described at a relativelyhigh-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuringaspects of the present disclosure. Various modifications to thedisclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limitedto the embodiments shown, but to be accorded the widest scope consistentwith the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,”“an,” and “the,” are intended to include the plural forms as well,unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, theterms “and/or” and “at least one of” include any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or“including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. Also, the term “exemplary” is intended to refer to an exampleor illustration.

It will be understood that the terms “system,” “engine,” “unit,”“module,” and/or “block” used herein are one method to distinguishdifferent components, elements, parts, sections or assembly of differentlevels in ascending order. However, the terms may be displaced byanother expression if they achieve the same purpose.

Generally, the word “module,” “unit,” or “block,” as used herein, refersto logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection ofsoftware instructions. A module, a unit, or a block described herein maybe implemented as software and/or hardware and may be stored in any typeof non-transitory computer-readable medium or another storage device. Insome embodiments, a software module/unit/block may be compiled andlinked into an executable program. It will be appreciated that softwaremodules can be callable from other modules/units/blocks or fromthemselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events orinterrupts. Software modules/units/blocks configured for execution oncomputing devices may be provided on a computer-readable medium, such asa compact disc, a digital video disc, a flash drive, a magnetic disc, orany other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and can beoriginally stored in a compressed or installable format that needsinstallation, decompression, or decryption prior to execution). Suchsoftware code may be stored, partially or fully, on a storage device ofthe executing computing device, for execution by the computing device.Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. Itwill be further appreciated that hardware modules/units/blocks may beincluded in connected logic components, such as gates and flip-flops,and/or can be included of programmable units, such as programmable gatearrays or processors. The modules/units/blocks or computing devicefunctionality described herein may be implemented as softwaremodules/units/blocks, but may be represented in hardware or firmware. Ingeneral, the modules/units/blocks described herein refer to logicalmodules/units/blocks that may be combined with othermodules/units/blocks or divided into sub-modules/sub-units/sub-blocksdespite their physical organization or storage. The description may beapplicable to a system, an engine, or a portion thereof.

It will be understood that the terms “hole,” “surface,” “groove,”“ring,” etc., when used in this disclosure, refer to one or more partswith one or more specific purposes. However, a structure that mayperform a same or similar function compared to a part exemplified aboveor referred to elsewhere in the present disclosure may be nameddifferently from the present disclosure.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,”“third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, theseelements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only usedto distinguish one element from another. For example, a first elementcould be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element couldbe termed a first element, without departing from the scope of exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure.

It will be understood that an “inner surface” may refer to a surfacethat is close to or faces a scanned object and an “outer surface” mayrefer to a surface that is away from or opposite to a scanned object.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between layers) are described using various terms, including“connected,” “attached,” and “mounted.” Unless explicitly described asbeing “direct,” when a relationship between first and second elements isdescribed in the present disclosure, that relationship includes a directrelationship where no other intervening elements are present between thefirst and second elements, and also an indirect relationship where oneor more intervening elements are present (either spatially orfunctionally) between the first and second elements. In contrast, whenan element is referred to as being “directly” connected, attached, orpositioned to another element, there are no intervening elementspresent. Other words used to describe the relationship between elementsshould be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between,” versus“directly between,” “adjacent,” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

It should also be understood that terms such as “top,” “bottom,”“upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” “lateral” “above,” “below,” “upward(s),”“downward(s),” “left-hand side,” “right-hand side,” “horizontal,” andother such spatial reference terms are used in a relative sense todescribe the positions or orientations of certainsurfaces/parts/components of the PET-MR apparatus with respect to othersuch features of the PET-MR apparatus when the PET-MR apparatus is in anormal operating position and may change if the position or orientationof the PET-MR apparatus changes.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present disclosure,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, may become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings, allof which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration and description only and are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. It is understood that the drawings arenot to scale.

For illustration purposes, the following description is provided to helpbetter understanding an imaging process. It is understood that this isnot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For personshaving ordinary skills in the art, a certain amount of variations,changes and/or modifications may be deducted under the guidance of thepresent disclosure. Those variations, changes and/or modifications donot depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a PET-MR apparatus. ThePET-MR apparatus may include a first supporting component, a PETdetector, a second supporting component, and a radio frequency (RF)coil. The first supporting component may have an inner surface and anouter surface. The PET detector may be supported on the outer surface ofthe first supporting component. The second supporting component may beat least partially surrounded by the first supporting component. The RFcoil configured to generate or receive an RF signal may be supported onthe second supporting component. Accordingly, as supported by differentsupporting components, the RF coil and the PET detector of the PET-MRapparatus disclosed in the present disclosure may be separatelyassembled and/or disassembled, which may make the maintenance of thePET-MR apparatus more convenient.

In some embodiments, the PET detector may include a detection unit andat least one mounting base. The detection unit may include a firstproximal surface and a first distal surface with respect to the outersurface of the first supporting component. The at least one mountingbase may be configured to mount the detection unit on the firstsupporting component. The at least one mounting base may include asecond proximal surface and a second distal surface with respect to theouter surface of the first supporting component. The second distalsurface of the at least one mounting base may be more distant from theouter surface of the first supporting component than the first distalsurface of the detection unit. Accordingly, during the assembly of thePET detector, the PET detector may be protected from being collidingwith an inner surface of the magnet coil surrounding the PET detectordue to the existence of the at least one mounting base, which mayprotect the PET detector.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary PET-MR apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the PET-MR apparatus 100 may be an apparatus for generatingan MR image and/or a PET image of an object. The MR image and/or the PETimage may be generated individually or concurrently. The object mayinclude a biological object and/or a non-biological object. Thebiological object may include a human being, an animal, a plant, or aportion thereof (e.g., a cell, a tissue, an organ, etc.). Thenon-biological object may include a radioactive ore, an antique, etc. Inthe present disclosure, “object” and “subject” are used interchangeably.As shown in FIG. 1, the PET-MR apparatus 100 may include an RF coil 110,a PET detector 120, a second supporting component 130, a firstsupporting component 140, and a magnetic coil 150.

The RF coil 110 may emit radiofrequency (RF) pulses (or RF signals) toand/or receive RF signals from an object being scanned. As used herein,an RF pulse may include an excitation RF pulse and a refocusing RFpulse. The RF coil 110 may include a quotient difference (QD) orthogonalcoil and/or a phase-array coil. In some embodiments, the RF coil 110 mayinclude a plurality of different types of RF coils. The different typesof RF coils 110 may be used for the scanning of different parts of theobject. For example, the different types of RF coils 110 may include ahead coil specialized for the scanning of the head of the object, a kneejoint coil specialized for the scanning of a knee joint of the object,etc. The RF coil 110 may include a volume coil and/or a local coil. Forexample, the volume coil may include a dipole coil, a birdcage coil, atransverse electromagnetic coil, a loop coil, a surface coil, etc. Thelocal coil may include a solenoid coil, a saddle coil, a flexible coil,etc.

The PET detector 120 may be configured to detect signals, for example,attenuated radioactive rays, radiation events, etc. For example, thesignals may be gamma photons emitted by the object. In particular, aradioactive tracer (e.g., fluorine-18) may be introduced into the objectto be scanned. The radioactive tracer may decay and emit positrons. Thepositrons may encounter with electrons of the object and produce a pairof annihilation photons (e.g., gamma photons). Merely by way of example,the crystals of the PET detector 120 may generate an optical signal inresponse to the detected signals. The optical signal may be converted toan electric signal by a photoelectric converter. A PET image may begenerated based on the electric signal.

In some embodiments, the size of the PET detector 120 in acircumferential direction of the PET-MR apparatus 100 may be larger thanthat of the RF coil 110. That is, the field of view of the PET imagingmay be larger than the field of view of the MR imaging. In someembodiments, the field of view of the PET imaging may be equal to thefield of view of the MR imaging.

In some embodiments, the PET detector 120 may include a plurality ofdetection units (e.g., a detection unit 121-1, a detection unit 121-2, adetection unit 121-3). In some embodiments, each detection unit mayinclude a first proximal surface and a first distal surface with respectto the outer surface of the first supporting component 140. Theplurality of detection units may be arranged around a circumferentialdirection of the first supporting component 140. The arrangement of theplurality of detection units may correspond to the shape of the firstsupporting component 140. For example, the first supporting component140 may have a ring shape and the detection units may be uniformlyarranged around the outer surface of the first supporting component 140as a detection ring (as shown in FIG. 1). In some embodiments, theplurality of detection units may form a plurality of detection ringsarranged around the outer surface of the first supporting component 140along the Z direction (i.e., the longitudinal direction) of the PET-MRapparatus 100. Similarly, the detection units may be arranged around anarc, a rectangle, a triangle, or a curved array, etc., depending on theshape of the supporting component 140.

In some embodiments, the PET detector 120 may further include at leastone mounting base (not shown in FIG. 1) configured to mount thedetection units on the first supporting component 140. For example, twomounting bases may be configured on two outermost ends of the detectionunits, respectively, along the Z direction. As another example, the atleast one mounting base may be configured on the first distal surface ofa detection unit. The at least one mounting base may include a secondproximal surface and a second distal surface with respect to the outersurface of the first supporting component 140. In some embodiments, thesecond distal surface of the at least one mounting base may be moredistant from the outer surface of the first supporting component 140than the first distal surfaces of the detection units. More descriptionsof the detection units and the mounting bases may be found elsewhere inthe present disclosure (e.g., FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and descriptions thereof).

In some embodiments, the arrangement of the at least one mounting basemay correspond to the arrangement of the plurality of detection units.For example, the plurality of detection units may have a ring shape andthus the at least one mounting base may include one or more end ringsalong the Z direction. The end ring may include an inner edge where theoutermost detection unit(s) are joined to the end ring. The end ring mayinclude an outer edge opposite to the inner edge and distal from thedetection units. In some embodiments, the diameter of the end ring maybe greater than that of the detection ring. Therefore, during theassembly of the PET detector 120 on the first supporting component 140,the detection units of the PET detector 120 may be protected from beingcolliding with an inner surface of the magnet coil 150 due to theexistence of the end ring(s), which may guarantee the normal use and thedetection accuracy of the PET detector 120.

The magnetic coil 150 may include a main magnetic coil and a gradientmagnetic coil. The main magnetic coil may generate a main magnetic fieldin a detection region 160. The main magnetic coil may be of varioustypes including, for example, a permanent magnet, a superconductingelectromagnet, a resistive electromagnet, etc. The main magnetic coilmay have any magnetic field intensity, for example, 0.2 Tesla, 0.5Tesla, 1.0 Tesla, 1.5 Tesla, and 3.0 Tesla.

The gradient magnet may generate magnetic field gradients to the mainmagnetic field in the X, Y, and/or Z directions (or axes). In someembodiments, the gradient magnet may include an X-direction (or axis)coil, a Y-direction (or axis) coil, a Z-direction (or axis) coil, etc.For example, the Z-direction coil may be designed based on a circular(Maxwell) coil configuration, while the X-direction coil and theY-direction coil may be designed based on the saddle (Golay) coilconfiguration.

The first supporting component 140 (also referred to as a PET supportingcomponent) may be configured to support one or more components of thePET-MR apparatus 100, such as the PET detector 120. In some embodiments,the PET detector 120 may be supported on an outer surface of the firstsupporting component 140. More descriptions of the first supportingcomponent 140 may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g.,FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and descriptions thereof).

The second supporting component 130 (also referred to as an RF coilsupporting component) may be configured to support one or morecomponents of the PET-MR apparatus 100, such as the RF coil 110. Thesecond supporting component 130 may be at least partially surrounded bythe first supporting component 140. In some embodiments, the secondsupporting component 130 may be coaxial with the first supportingcomponent 140. In some embodiments, the RF coil 110 may be supported onan inner surface or an outer surface of the second supporting component130. More descriptions of the second supporting component 130 may befound elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIGS. 3, 4, 5, anddescriptions thereof).

In some embodiments, the inner surface of the second supportingcomponent 130 may form the detection region 160 (or referred to as adetection channel, a scanning channel, or a scanning space). The objectto be scanned may be placed on a scanning table (not shown in FIG. 1)and moved along the Z-direction to a desired position in the detectionregion 160 and be scanned (e.g., undergoing an MR scan and/or a PETscan).

In some embodiments, the magnetic coil 150 may be formed around theouter surface of the first supporting component 140. In someembodiments, the magnetic coil 150 may form an accommodating region. Thefirst supporting component 140 may be positioned in the accommodatingregion. In some embodiments, the first supporting component 140 may beconnected to an inner surface of the magnetic coil 150 via a holder or afastener (e.g., a nail, a screw, a nut).

In some embodiments, the second supporting component 130 may beremovably connected to the first supporting component 140. In someembodiments, the second supporting component 130 may be mechanicallyconnected to the first supporting component via a fastener (e.g., anail, a screw, a nut). For example, screw threads may be configured inrelative positions of the first supporting component 140 and the secondsupporting component 130. The second supporting component 130 may bemechanically connected to the first supporting component via a screw rodpenetrating through the screw threads. In some embodiments, a slidingtrack may be arranged between the first supporting component 140 and thesecond supporting component 130. The first supporting component 140 mayslide along the sliding track to be removed from or installed on thesecond supporting component 130.

In some embodiments, the second supporting component 130 may beconnected to the inner surface of the magnetic coil 150 directly. Forexample, the length of the second supporting component 130 along the Zdirection may be greater than that of the first supporting component140. Two ends of the second supporting component 130 may extend from thetwo ends of the first supporting component 140, respectively. The twoends of the second supporting component 130 may be directly connected tothe inner surface of the magnetic coil 150 via a fastener (e.g., a nail,a screw, a nut).

In some embodiments, the PET-MR apparatus 100 may further include asignal shielding component placed between the PET detector 120 and theRF coil 110. The signal shielding component may be configured to shieldthe PET detector 120 from at least part of RF signals generated by theRF coil 110. For example, the signal shielding component may eliminateor reduce an interference (e.g., a coupling) between the RF coil 110 andthe PET detector 120. In some embodiments, the signal shieldingcomponent may be arranged on the inner surface of the first supportingcomponent 140. In some embodiments, the emission efficiency of the RFcoil 110 may be related to the distance between the signal shieldingcomponent and the RF coil 110. For example, the greater the distancebetween the signal shielding component and the RF coil 110 (e.g., theradial distance), the higher the emission efficiency of the RF coil 110can be. In some occasions, the thickness of the first supportingcomponent 140 (i.e., the radial distance between the outer surface andthe inner surface of the first supporting component 140) may bedecreased to increase the distance between the signal shieldingcomponent and the RF coil 110, thus improving the emission efficiency ofthe RF coil 110.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component may be made ofelectrically conductive material. Suitable electrically conductivematerials may include a metal, a metal oxide, an alloy, rubber,graphite, a semiconductor, a composite polymer, or the like, or anycombination thereof. The signal shielding component may have anysuitable two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) configuration.For example, the signal shielding component may have the configurationof a film, a mesh, or the like, or any combination thereof.Specifically, the signal shielding component may be a metal film (e.g.,a copper film), a metal plate, or the like. Alternatively, the signalshielding component may be a metal mesh.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component (e.g., a conductivemetal film) may be attached to the inner surface of the first supportingcomponent 140 by any suitable technique, e.g., spin coating, dipcoating, screen printing, transfer coating, sputtering, physical vapordeposition, chemical vapor deposition, or the like, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the signal shielding component (e.g., ametal mesh) may be assembled onto the inner surface of the firstsupporting component 140 via an adhesive.

It should be noted that the PET-MR apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 ismerely provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinaryskills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may be madeunder the teachings of the present disclosure. However, those variationsand modifications do not depart from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, the PET-MR apparatus 100 may furtherinclude a gantry (not shown in FIG. 1), configured to support one ormore components of the PET-MR apparatus 100 (e.g., the RF coil 110, thePET detector 120, the second supporting component 130, the firstsupporting component 140, the magnetic coil 150, the signal shieldingcomponent).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary connection structure of afirst supporting component and a second supporting component accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a perspectiveview of an exemplary connection structure of a second supportingcomponent and an RF coil according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary connectionstructure of a first supporting component and a PET detector accordingto some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first supporting component 140 and the secondsupporting component 130 may both have a cylindrical structure. Thediameter of the first supporting component 140 may be greater than thatof the second supporting component 130. The second supporting component130 may be at least partially surrounded by the first supportingcomponent 140. In some embodiments, a notch 210 may be formed at an endof the second supporting component 130. The notch 210 may be configuredto match the shape of a scanning table (not shown in FIG. 2).

In some embodiments, the RF coil 110 may be supported on the secondsupporting component 130, as shown in FIG. 3. For example, the RF coil110 may be supported on an inner surface or an outer surface of thesecond supporting component 130. In some embodiments, the RF coil 110may be attached on the second supporting component 130 via a chemicalcomponent (e.g., an adhesive), a fastener (e.g., a nail, a screw, anut), or the like, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the PET detector 120 may be supported on the outersurface of the first supporting component 140, as shown in FIGS. 2 and4. In some embodiments, the PET detector 120 may be mounted on the firstsupporting component 140 via a chemical component (e.g., an adhesive), afastener (e.g., a nail, a screw, a nut), a mounting base, or the like,or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the PET detector 120may be located at a relatively long distance from the RF coil 110, whichmay be advantageous for reducing the electromagnetic field interferencebetween the RF coil 110 and the PET detector 120. In this situation, theemission efficiency of the RF coil 110 can be set to be relatively high.

According to the PET-MR apparatus 100 disclosed in the presentdisclosure, the RF coil 110 and the PET detector 120 may be fixed in thePET-MR apparatus by the second supporting component 130 and the firstsupporting component 140, respectively. By doing so, on one hand, thecombined assembly of the RF coil 110 and the PET detector 120 may berealized. On the other hand, the RF coil 110 and the PET detector 120may be separately assembled and/or disassembled, so that the RF coil 110and/or the PET detector 120 may be maintained separately. For example,if the RF coil 110 breaks down, an operator may only need to disassemblethe RF coil 110 from the PET-MR apparatus 100 by detaching the secondsupporting component 130 from the PET-MR apparatus 100, leaving the PETdetector 120 in its place in the PET-MR apparatus 100. If the PETdetector 120 breaks down, an operator may only need to disassemble thePET detector 120 from the PET-MR apparatus 100 by detaching the firstsupporting component 140 from the PET-MR apparatus 100, leaving the RFcoil 110 in its place in the PET-MR apparatus 100. As such, themaintenance of the PET-MR apparatus may be simple and convenient, andthe maintenance cost may be saved.

The first supporting component 140 and/or the second supportingcomponent 130 may be made of any suitable material that has highstrength and/or stability to provide a stable support for the PETdetector 120 and the RF coil 110. In some embodiments, since the weightof the PET detector 120 is greater than that of the RF coil 110, thestrength of the first supporting component 140 may be higher than thatof the second supporting component 130. In some embodiments, the firstsupporting component 140 and the second supporting component 130 may bemade of a same material. The thickness of the second supportingcomponent 130 may be less than the thickness of the first supportingcomponent 140. In some embodiments, the first supporting component 140and the second supporting component 130 may be made of differentmaterials.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the first supporting component 140may relate to the material of the first supporting component 140. Insome embodiments, the first supporting component 140 may be made ofelectrically conductive material. For example, the first supportingcomponent 140 may be made of carbon fiber. The carbon fiber may have agood electromagnetic field shielding effect, which may reduce theinterference between the RF coil 110 and the PET detector 120. In thissituation, no additional signal shielding component is needed in thePET-MR apparatus 100, which may reduce the complexity of the PET-MRapparatus 100. In this situation, the thickness of the first supportingcomponent 140 may be in a range of 4 mm to 6 mm. In some embodiments,the first supporting component 140 may be made of an insulationmaterial. For example, the first supporting component 140 may be made ofglass fiber. In this situation, a signal shielding component may beplaced between the PET detector 120 and the RF coil 110. The signalshielding component may be configured to shield the PET detector from atleast part of the RF signal. For example, the signal shielding componentmay be attached on the inner surface of the first supporting component140. More descriptions of the signal shielding component may be foundelsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIGS. 1, 5, and descriptionsthereof). In this situation, the thickness of the first supportingcomponent 140 may be in a range of 6 mm to 10 mm.

In some embodiments, the second supporting component 130 may be made ofan insulation material. For example, the second supporting component 130may be made of glass fiber. In this situation, the thickness of thesecond supporting component 130 may be less than that of the firstsupporting component 140. For example, the thickness of the secondsupporting component may be in a range of 3 mm to 5 mm.

It should be noted that the first supporting component 140 and thesecond supporting component 130 shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are merelyprovided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills inthe art, multiple variations and modifications may be made under theteachings of the present disclosure. However, those variations andmodifications do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an exemplary PET-MR apparatus 500 viewedfrom a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, thePET-MR apparatus 500 may be same as or similar to the PET-MR apparatus100, or a portion thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5, the PET-MR apparatus 500 may include the RF coil110, the PET detector 120, the second supporting component 130, thefirst supporting component 140, the magnetic coil 150, and a signalshielding component 510. The magnetic coil 150 may be formed around anouter surface of the first supporting component 140. In someembodiments, the magnetic coil 150 may form an accommodating region 151.The first supporting component 140 may be positioned in theaccommodating region 151. The PET detector 120 may be supported on theouter surface of the first supporting component 140. More descriptionsof the connection between the PET detector 120 and the first supportingcomponent 140 may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g.,FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and descriptions thereof).

The second supporting component 130 may be at least partially surroundedby the first supporting component 140. The RF coil 110 may be supportedon an outer surface of the second supporting component 140. In someembodiments, the second supporting component 130 may also be used as aninsulation component between the RF coil 110 and a patient to bescanned, which may isolate the patient and the RF coil 110, and improvethe safety performance of the PET-MR apparatus 500.

In some embodiments, the second supporting component 130 may beremovably connected to the first supporting component 140. For example,the second supporting component 130 may be connected to the innersurface of the first supporting component 140 via a fastener 160. Insome embodiment, in order to ensure the emission efficiency of the RFcoil 110, save the installation space, and provide a large accommodatingspace for the patient, the spacing between the first supportingcomponent 140 and the second supporting component 130 along the radialdirection of the PET-MR apparatus 500 may be in a range of 15 mm to 30mm.

In some embodiments, the PET detector 120 and the RF coil 110 may beconfigured along a radial direction of the PET-MR apparatus 500. The PETdetector 120 and the RF coil 110 may be spaced apart from each other byproviding the first supporting component 140, the second supportingcomponent 130, and the fastener 160. Accordingly, the influence of theheat of the PET detector 120 on the RF coil 110 may be reduced, and theinfluence of the heat of the RF coil 110 on the PET detector 120 mayalso be reduced.

In some embodiments, the signal shielding component 510 may beconfigured on the inner surface of the first supporting component 140.For example, the signal shielding component 510 may be a metal film or ametal mesh attached to the inner surface of the first supportingcomponent 140.

It should be noted that the PET-MR apparatus 500 shown in FIG. 5 ismerely provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinaryskills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may be madeunder the teachings of the present disclosure. However, those variationsand modifications do not depart from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an exemplary PET-MR apparatus 600 viewedfrom a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, thePET-MR apparatus 600 may be same as or similar to the PET-MR apparatus100, the PET-MR apparatus 500, or a portion thereof. FIG. 7 is asectional view of an exemplary PET detector 700 according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the PETdetector 700 may be same as or similar to the PET detector 120, or aportion thereof.

As shown in FIG. 6, the PET detector 120 may include a detection unit121 and at least one mounting base 122. In some embodiments, thedetection unit 121 may include a detection component (not shown in FIG.6) and a third supporting component (not shown in FIG. 6). The detectioncomponent may be configured to detect signals. In some embodiments, thedetection component may include a crystal unit, a photoelectricconversion unit, an electronic circuit, or the like. The crystal unit,the photoelectric conversion unit, and the electronic circuit may beelectrically connected with each other in sequence. The third supportingcomponent may be configured to support the detection component. Forexample, the crystal unit and the photoelectric conversion unit may bemounted on a first side of the third supporting component close to thefirst supporting component 140, and the electronic circuit may beconfigured on a second side of the third supporting component away fromthe first supporting component 140. In some embodiments, the thirdsupporting component may have a heat dissipation structure fordissipating heat and/or a cooling structure for cooling the detectioncomponent to ensure the working performance of the detection component.In some embodiments, the third supporting component and the at least onemounting base 122 may be an integral body. In some embodiments, thethird supporting component may be removably connected to the at leastone mounting base 122.

In some embodiments, the detection unit 121 may include a first proximalsurface and a first distal surface with respect to the outer surface ofthe first supporting component 140. The at least one mounting base 122may include a second proximal surface and a second distal surface withrespect to the outer surface of the first supporting component 140. Thesecond distal surface of the at least one mounting base 122 may be moredistant from the outer surface of the first supporting component 140than the first distal surface of the detection unit 121. Accordingly, agap formed between the second distal surface of the at least onemounting base 122 and the inner surface of the magnetic coil 150 may besmaller than a gap formed between the first distal surface of thedetection unit 121 and the inner surface of the magnetic coil 150.

In some embodiments, the first distal surface of the detection unit 121may have any shape. For example, the first distal surface of thedetection unit 121 may be flat. As another example, the first distalsurface of the detection unit 121 may be curved, and parallel to theouter surface of the first supporting component 140. As still anotherexample, the first distal surface of the detection unit 121 may beuneven. In this situation, the second distal surface of the at least onemounting base 122 may have any shape, as long as any point on the seconddistal surface of the at least one mounting base 122 is more distantfrom the outer surface of the first supporting component 140 than anypoint on the first distal surface of the detection unit 121.

In some embodiments, the second distal surface of the at least onemounting base 122 may have any shape. For example, the second distalsurface of the at least one mounting base 122 may be flat. As anotherexample, the second distal surface of the at least one mounting base 122may be curved, and parallel to the outer surface of the first supportingcomponent 140. As still another example, the second distal surface ofthe at least one mounting base 122 may be uneven. In this situation, thefirst distal surface of the detection unit 121 may have any shape, aslong as any point on the second distal surface of the at least onemounting base 122 is more distant from the outer surface of the firstsupporting component 140 than any point on the first distal surface ofthe detection unit 121.

Therefore, during the assembly of the PET detector 120 supported on thefirst supporting component 140 in the accommodating region 151, thedetection unit 121 of the PET detector 120 may be protected from beingcolliding with an inner surface of the magnet coil 150 by the at leastone mounting base 122, which may guarantee the normal use and thedetection accuracy of the PET detector 120.

In a conventional PET-MR apparatus, the PET detector may be mounted in agroove configured in the outer surface of a supporting component toprotect the PET detector 120 from being squeezed or impacted during theassembly. The supporting component with the groove in its outer surfacemay have a relative large size (e.g., thickness) along the radialdirection. In comparison, the PET-MR apparatus according to someembodiments of the present disclosure may mount the PET detector 120 onthe first supporting component 140 having a relatively small thicknessdirectly, without making the groove in the outer surface of the firstsupporting component 140. Therefore, the requirement for the thicknessof the first supporting component 140 may be reduced, and thefabrication complexity and cost may be effectively reduced.

In some embodiments, the detection unit 121 and the at least onemounting base 122 may be an integral body. Accordingly, the connectionbetween the detection unit 121 and the at least one mounting base 122may be stable, which may avoid the risk of the detection unit 121falling off from the at least one mounting base 122. In someembodiments, each of the at least one mounting base 122 may be removablyconnected to the detection unit 121. For example, the each of the atleast one mounting base 122 may be removably connected to the detectionunit 121 via a buckle structure (e.g., a hook and a slot). As anotherexample, the each of the at least one mounting base 122 may be removablyconnected to the detection unit 121 via a fastener (e.g., a screw).

In some embodiments, the at least one mounting bases 122 may beconfigured on two ends of the detection unit 121 to mount the detectionunit 121 on the first supporting component 140, as shown in FIGS. 6 and7. In some embodiments, the each of the at least one mounting base 122may be removably connected to the first supporting component 140. Forexample, the each of the at least one mounting base 122 may be connectedto the first supporting component 140 via a chemical component (e.g., anadhesive), a fastener (e.g., a nail, a screw, a nut), or the like, orany combination thereof. Accordingly, the installation of the PETdetector 120 and the first supporting component 140 may be realized bythe detachable connection of the at least one mounting base 122 and thefirst supporting component 140. The connection structure of the at leastone mounting base 122 and the first supporting component 140 may besimple, easy to design, and may not affect the PET detector 120 toreceive signals.

In some embodiments, the mounting base 122 may include one or moremounting holes 1221, as shown in FIG. 7. The mounting base 122 may bemounted on the first supporting component 140 via the one or moremounting holes 1221 and one or more connection components passingthrough the one or more mounting holes 1221. In some embodiments, themounting hole 1221 may penetrate through the mounting base 122 in adirection perpendicular to the outer surface of the first supportingcomponent 140. In some embodiments, the connection component may includea screw, a bolt, a pin, or the like. By providing the mounting hole 1221in the mounting base 122, and fixing the mounting base 122 on the firstsupporting component 140 via the connection component passing throughthe mounting hole 1221, the connection structure of the mounting base122 and the first supporting component 140 may be simple, stable, andeasy to assembly or disassembly.

In some embodiments, the mounting hole 1221 may include a countersink atthe second distal surface of the at least one mounting base 122. Bydesigning the mounting hole 1221 as the countersink, the connectioncomponent may fix the mounting base 122 on the first supportingcomponent 140 without protruding from the mounting base 122, which mayimprove the overall aesthetics of the PET detector 120 configured on thefirst supporting component 140.

In some embodiments, the mounting base 122 may include a positioninghole 1222. The positioning hole 1222 may penetrate through the mountingbase 122 in a direction perpendicular to the outer surface of the firstsupporting component 140. In some embodiments, a positioning pin (notshown in FIGS. 6, 7) may be configured on the first supporting component140. Before the mounting base 122 is fixed on the first supportingcomponent 140, the position of the mounting base 122 and the position ofthe first supporting component 140 may be aligned via the reception ofthe positioning pin by the positioning hole 1222, which may facilitatethe positioning and the installation of the PET detector 120 on thefirst supporting component 140.

In some embodiments, a groove 1223 may be configured at the secondproximal surface of the mounting base 122. The groove 1222 may beconfigured to accommodate at least one convex portion on the outersurface of the first supporting component 140. In some embodiments, theconvex portion on the outer surface of the first supporting component140 may include a process boss generated during the manufacturingprocess (e.g., an embedded process, an inlaid process) of the firstsupporting component 140. By designing the groove 1223 on the mountingbase 122, the convex portion on the outer surface of the firstsupporting component 140 may be accommodated, so that the PET detector120 may be mounted on the first supporting component 140 closely, whichmay save installation space.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an exemplary PET detector 800 according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the PETdetector 800 may be same as or similar to the PET detector 120, or aportion thereof.

As shown in FIG. 8, the at least one mounting base 122 may be configuredon the first distal surface of the detection unit 121, thus between thedetection unit 121 and the magnet coil surrounding the detection unit121. The detection unit 121 may be connected to the first supportingcomponent 140 via a chemical component (e.g., an adhesive), a fastener(e.g., a nail, a screw, a nut), or the like, or any combination thereof.Therefore, the detection unit 121 of the PET detector 120 may beprotected from being colliding with an inner surface of the magnet coilby the at least one mounting base 122, which may guarantee the normaluse and the detection accuracy of the PET detector 120. The number ofthe at least one mounting base 122 may not be limiting. For example,besides two mounting bases 122 at the two ends of the detection unit121, one or more mounting bases 122 may be positioned on other positionsof the detection unit 121, e.g., a position between the two mountingbases 122 at the two ends of the detection unit 121.

In some embodiments, the PET detector may include a plurality ofdetection units 121. In some embodiments, the plurality of detectionunits 121 may be circumferentially arranged on the outer surface of thefirst supporting component to form a ring shape, as shown in FIG. 1. Insome embodiments, the plurality of detection units 121 may form aplurality of detection rings arranged around the outer surface of thefirst supporting component along the Z direction (i.e., the longitudinaldirection) of the PET-MR apparatus (e.g., the PET-MR apparatus 100, thePET-MR apparatus 600).

In some embodiments, the arrangement of the at least one mounting base122 may correspond to the arrangement of the plurality of detectionunits 121. For example, the plurality of detection units 121 may havethe ring shape and thus the at least one mounting base 122 may includeone or more end rings along the Z direction. The end ring may include aninner edge where the outermost detection unit(s) in the Z direction arejoined to the end ring. The end ring may include an outer edge oppositeto the inner edge and distal from the detection units 121. In someembodiments, the outside diameter of the end ring may be greater thanthat of the detection ring. Therefore, during the assembly of the PETdetector, the detection units 121 of the PET detector 120 may beprotected from being colliding with an inner surface of the magnet coildue to the existence of the end ring(s), which may guarantee the normaluse and the detection accuracy of the PET detector.

It should be noted that the PET-MR apparatus 600 shown in FIG. 6, thePET detector 700 shown in FIG. 7, and the PET detector 800 shown in FIG.8 are merely provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intendedto limit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons havingordinary skills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may bemade under the teachings of the present disclosure. However, thosevariations and modifications do not depart from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent tothose skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that theforegoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way ofexample only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, andmodifications may occur and are intended to those skilled in the art,though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, andmodifications are intended to be suggested by this disclosure and arewithin the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of thisdisclosure.

Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments ofthe present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” and/or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or morereferences to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternativeembodiment” in various portions of this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures or characteristics may be combined assuitable in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects ofthe present disclosure may be illustrated and described herein in any ofa number of patentable classes or context including any new and usefulprocess, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new anduseful improvement thereof. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combiningsoftware and hardware implementation that may all generally be referredto herein as a “unit,” “module,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects ofthe present disclosure may take the form of a computer program productembodied in one or more computer readable media having computer readableprogram code embodied thereon.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including electro-magnetic, optical, or thelike, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that may communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on acomputer readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriatemedium, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, or thelike, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in a combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C #, VB.NET, Python or the like, conventional procedural programming languages,such as the “C” programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2103, Perl,COBOL 2102, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages such as Python,Ruby and Groovy, or other programming languages. The program code mayexecute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer,as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer andpartly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer orserver. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected tothe user's computer through any type of network, including a local areanetwork (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may bemade to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using anInternet Service Provider) or in a cloud computing environment oroffered as a service such as a Software as a Service (SaaS).

Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, orthe use of numbers, letters, or other designations, therefore, is notintended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order exceptas may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosurediscusses through various examples what is currently considered to be avariety of useful embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the appended claimsare not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, areintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. For example,although the implementation of various components described above may beembodied in a hardware device, it may also be implemented as a softwareonly solution, for example, an installation on an existing server ormobile device.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description ofembodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimesgrouped in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding ofone or more of the various inventive embodiments. This method ofdisclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intentionthat the claimed subject matter requires more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments lie inless than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or propertiesused to describe and claim certain embodiments of the application are tobe understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about,”“approximate,” or “substantially.” For example, “about,” “approximate,”or “substantially” may indicate ±20% variation of the value itdescribes, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments,the numerical parameters set forth in the written description andattached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon thedesired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. Insome embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in lightof the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinaryrounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges andparameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of theapplication are approximations, the numerical values set forth in thespecific examples are reported as precisely as practicable.

Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patentapplications, and other material, such as articles, books,specifications, publications, documents, things, and/or the like,referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in itsentirety for all purposes, excepting any prosecution file historyassociated with same, any of same that is inconsistent with or inconflict with the present document, or any of same that may have alimiting affect as to the broadest scope of the claims now or laterassociated with the present document. By way of example, should there beany inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition,and/or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporatedmaterial and that associated with the present document, the description,definition, and/or the use of the term in the present document shallprevail.

In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of theapplication disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of theembodiments of the application. Other modifications that may be employedmay be within the scope of the application. Thus, by way of example, butnot of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of theapplication may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein.Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited tothat precisely as shown and described.

We claim:
 1. A positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET-MR)apparatus, comprising: a first supporting component having an innersurface and an outer surface; a magnetic coil formed around the outersurface of the first supporting component; and a PET detector supportedon the outer surface of the first supporting component, wherein the PETdetector includes: a detection unit including a first proximal surfaceand a first distal surface with respect to the outer surface of thefirst supporting component; and at least one mounting base configured tomount the detection unit on the first supporting component, the at leastone mounting base including a second proximal surface and a seconddistal surface with respect to the outer surface of the first supportingcomponent, the second distal surface of the at least one mounting basebeing more distant from the outer surface of the first supportingcomponent than the first distal surface of the detection unit, a gapformed between the first distal surface of the detection unit and aninner surface of the magnetic coil being greater than a gap formedbetween the second distal surface of the at least one mounting base andthe inner surface of the magnetic coil, such that the detection unit isprotected from being colliding with the inner surface of the magneticcoil by the at least one mounting base.
 2. The PET-MR apparatus of claim1, wherein the magnetic coil includes a main magnetic coil and agradient magnetic coil, the magnetic coil forms an accommodating region,the first supporting component being positioned in the accommodatingregion, and a gap being formed between the second distal surface of theat least one mounting base and the magnetic coil.
 3. The PET-MRapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first distal surface of the detectionunit and the second distal surface of the at least one mounting base areflat surfaces.
 4. The PET-MR apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detectionunit and the at least one mounting base is an integral body.
 5. ThePET-MR apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one mountingbase is removably connected to the detection unit.
 6. The PET-MRapparatus of claim 5, wherein the detection unit includes: a detectioncomponent; and a third supporting component configured to support thedetection component, wherein the third supporting component and the atleast one mounting base is an integral body.
 7. The PET-MR apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein each of the at least one mounting base is removablyconnected to the third supporting component.
 8. The PET-MR apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein each of the at least one mounting base includes amounting hole, and the each of the at least one mounting base is mountedon the first supporting component via the mounting hole and a connectioncomponent passing through the mounting hole.
 9. The PET-MR apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein each of the at least one mounting base includes apositioning hole penetrating through the mounting base in a directionperpendicular to the outer surface of the first supporting component.10. The PET-MR apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a groove at thesecond proximal surface of the at least one mounting base, the groovebeing configured to accommodate at least one convex portion on the outersurface of the first supporting component.
 11. The PET-MR apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the PET detector includes a plurality of detectionunits, the plurality of detection units being circumferentially arrangedon the outer surface of the first supporting component to form a ringshape.
 12. The PET-MR apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least onemounting base includes an end ring, the end ring including an inner edgewhere at least one detection unit of the plurality of detection units isjoined to the end ring, and the end ring includes an outer edge oppositeto the inner edge and distal from the at least one detection unit. 13.The PET-MR apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a second supportingcomponent being at least partially surrounded by the first supportingcomponent; and a radio frequency (RF) coil supported on the secondsupporting component, the RF coil being configured to generate orreceive an RF signal.
 14. The PET-MR apparatus of claim 13, wherein theRF coil is attached to an outer surface of the second supportingcomponent.
 15. The PET-MR apparatus of claim 13, wherein the PETdetector is mounted on the outer surface of the first supportingcomponent via a fastener.
 16. The PET-MR apparatus of claim 13, whereinthe first supporting component is made of carbon fiber or glass fiber.17. The PET-MR apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a signalshielding component placed between the PET detector and the RF coil, thesignal shielding component being configured to shield the PET detectorfrom at least part of the RF signal.
 18. The PET-MR apparatus of claim13, wherein the second supporting component is removably connected tothe inner surface of the first supporting component.